Résorber l'habitat informel par la restructuration-rénovation urbaine et création de nouvelles zones d’habitation < Back Comment combler le déficit de logement au Cameroun Pondi Paul En 2015, le déficit de logements au Cameroun était estimé à 1,5 million d’unités dont 80 % se trouvaient en zone urbaine et essentiellement dans les deux principales villes du pays. Ce déficit est caractérisé par les nouvelles demandes, mais également par l'habitat précaire comme nous l’explique Pondi Paul président de l'ordre national des urbanistes du Cameroun. Pour lui combler ce déficit par une approche jumelée de Restructuration - Rénovation urbaine et la création de nouvelles zones d’habitation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxZNNaDowN0

< Back Les jardins de Ben M'sik : construits par la communauté, pour la communauté Tarik Zoubdi Ben M'sik, un projet de logements sociaux à Casablanca, vise à améliorer les conditions de vie de 240 familles du bidonville "Douar Khalifa" dans le cadre du programme "Villes sans bidonvilles". Le projet, inspiré par l'histoire et le patrimoine du Maroc, présente une faible profondeur, une double orientation et des vues dégagées sur un grand parc. Le projet est partiellement autofinancé, avec 47 % financé par le "Fonds de solidarité habitat et intégration urbaine" et 38 % par les futurs résidents. En 2003, les attentats de Casablanca ont fait 41 morts. Les terroristes étaient tous originaires du bidonville de Sidi Moumen. Manifestement, ces quartiers manquent des moyens les plus élémentaires. Ce sont souvent des terrains fertiles pour ce type de tragédie (criminalité, chômage, extrémisme, ...). Par conséquent, l'accès à un logement décent, à une éducation de qualité et à des services publics adéquats est une solution viable pour restaurer un minimum de "justice sociale". C'est dans cet esprit et dans le cadre du programme "Villes sans bidonvilles" que les logements sociaux construits à Ben M'sik ont été créés pour améliorer les conditions de vie de 240 familles du bidonville "Douar Khalifa" situé à proximité du site du projet. De plus, contrairement à plusieurs autres projets de logements, la proximité de celui-ci avec l'emplacement du bidonville concerné a évité le déracinement des habitants de leur environnement habituel, sans perturber considérablement leur quotidien. Vue globale-2022-Alessio Mei Photographie Le projet bénéficie d'un emplacement privilégié au milieu de plusieurs équipements et services locaux, notamment une mosquée, un centre de santé, un centre de jeunesse (en construction), un centre social, un complexe sportif local, un centre de formation professionnelle et plusieurs autres écoles. Tarik Zoubdi né le 22 février 1982, est un architecte marocain, diplômé de l'École nationale d'architecture en 2006, et titulaire d’un « Master of resilient, sustainable, and smart building and cities » de l'Université Mohammed VI Polytechnique en 2020. Son atelier d’architecture TZA a été fondé en 2008. En 2018, il remporte avec Mounir Benchekroun le Prix du jury et celui du public aux Architizer A+Awards dans la catégorie « Primary and High school »1 à New York2, et le Prix du meilleur bâtiment éducatif et culturel aux « Arab Architects Awards » à Beyrouth3. Depuis 2019, il est enseignant à l’École d’architecture de l’Université internationale de Rabat. La faible profondeur des bâtiments permet à 83 % des appartements de bénéficier d'une double orientation garantissant une abondante lumière naturelle et une ventilation transversale très efficace. De plus, la morphologie serpentine du complexe permet des vues dégagées sur le grand parc adjacent. Le vocabulaire architectural du projet s'inspire de l'histoire et du patrimoine du Maroc, de la beauté de sa lumière et de ses paysages naturels. Les formes, les couleurs et les textures permettent aux bâtiments de s'ancrer fortement dans leur contexte géographique et culturel, tout comme les maisons du quartier avec leurs teintes variées d'ocre. Ce respect exprimé envers l'identité locale permet une intégration du projet dans son environnement, facilitant son adoption par les futurs résidents et leurs voisins. Pour l'aspect bioclimatique, la ventilation naturelle transversale des appartements à double orientation rafraîchit les intérieurs. De plus, les jardins extérieurs inspirés des "Ryads" marocains seront couverts de végétation dense qui adoucit l'atmosphère en été, et laisse passer les rayons du soleil en hiver, grâce à la prédominance des arbres à feuilles caduques. Les passages sous les sabats stimulent la ventilation naturelle de ces "patios ouverts", évitant ainsi le phénomène d'îlot de chaleur. Prévus sur des terrains publics, le projet a coûté l'équivalent de seulement 230 euros le mètre carré, malgré l'installation d'ascenseurs dans tous les 18 bâtiments. L'ensemble de l'opération a été partiellement autofinancé jusqu'à environ 47 % ; grâce à la vente de la surface commerciale, 15 % du budget ont été fournis par le "Fonds de solidarité habitat et intégration urbaine (FSHIU)", et seulement 38 % seront fournis par les futurs résidents, principalement par le biais d'un crédit à long terme garanti par l'État à travers son fonds Damane Assakan. Previous Next

< Back Improving urban water services in Rundu, Namibia with the Digital Job Card Abigail Kemper; Dora Hegyi; Yuming Pan Rundu is a town in the North of Namibia, on the Okavango River. Despite having a perennial source of water, Rundu town residents often face water shortages, where the taps run dry. A representative of Rundu Town Council stated, “We cannot say with certainty why we are losing water”. The artisans and technical managers have a good sense of the areas where they attend to the most water leakages, defective meters and illegal connections, however the data or evidence of this is lacking. This limits the development of evidence-based plans and undermines the ability to justify budget requests or secure external funding. Together with Rundu Town Council, UNITAC identified the need for a digital solution to capture data by artisans attending to water and sanitation related jobs. The uptake of the Digital Job Card in Rundu Town Council is expected to enhance service delivery and water loss management by enabling accurate data collection, streamlined database integration, real-time performance monitoring via dashboards, and proactive task management through customizable notifications. Why do the taps run dry? Residents in Rundu do not understand why the taps run dry when their town is settled alongside the Okavango River, bordering Angola. The river sustains the community as a source of clean water as well as fish, and “Rundu is famous for its beach” according to local town representatives. It is an attractive tourist destination, and the urban population has grown at a rapid rate from 25,500 in 1999 to 118,000 in 2024, making it the second in size after the capital, City of Windhoek. Despite having a perennial source of water, residents often face water shortages. Approximately 50% of Rundu residents live in informal settlements according to the local authority. In Ndama Informal Settlement, communal stand pipes with prepaid water meters supply the community as well as private households from in formal settlement areas. Many households collect water on foot or with spaghetti pipes (illegal connections tapping into the municipal supply system). The formal and illegal connections experience low pressure in the pipes and as a result, inadequate and unreliable water supply. Borehole pump to supply the new school located south of Ndama Informal Settlement, by Kemper_2024 Rundu Town Council is responsible for upgrading informal settlements in the town boundary and delivering basic urban services to residents, businesses and organisations in Rundu as provided for in Section 30 of the Local Authorities Act (Act 23 of 1992) as amended for the administration of Local authority affairs within the proclaimed Local authority area of Rundu. This includes supplying water and sanitation services to informal settlement residents. At the same time, the Town Council is mandated to recover the costs and generate revenue from these services. However, the estimated water leakage index for Rundu is between 26 - 34%. This indicates a high rate of water losses for which no revenue is collected. Furthermore, the Town Council has accrued a debt of N$ 333 million (approx. USD 18.7 million) with the country’s bulk water supplier, NamWater as of March 2025 according to Petersen S (2025). A representative of Rundu Town Council stated, “We cannot say with certainty why we are losing water”. This is a multi-faceted problem which requires a deeper dive into the water supply and demand side issues. A detailed evaluation of the available data, interviews and site visits to Rundu were conducted by the United Nations Innovation and Technology Accelerator for Cities (UNITAC) between November 2024 – March 2025. The local authority and bulk water supplier, NamWater have plans to extend the water supply infrastructure. However, several data management and data collection issues remain. Installing bulk meters at each supply point will enable the town to check whether the total volume of water received from NamWater is as much as the Town Council is being billed for. The artisans and technical managers have a good sense of the areas where they attend to the most water leakages, defective meters and illegal connections, however the data or evidence of this is lacking. This limits the development of evidence-based plans and undermines the ability to justify budget requests or secure external funding. Additionally, on a household scale, some customers with water meters have raised concerns that the readings and charges on their meters are inaccurate. This is cited as one of the reasons why customers are not settling their accounts. A People Centered Smart City approach Rundu is one of four local towns in Namibia where the BMZ-funded UNITAC project “Just transitions in vulnerable places” is exploring digital and urban data solutions to improve enhanced evidence-based decision making. It builds on and supports the work of various existing urban initiatives in Namibia, aiming to improve the information base for effectively enhancing climate resilience of informal settlements through mapping, data collection, data management, data governance and provision of climate smart basic infrastructure in informal settlements. Since 2023, the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development has supported this project and the local adoption of digital and data solutions needed to upgrade informal settlements. The combination of national government support and the possibility to explore various use cases at the local government level has given the project legitimacy and flexibility to examine the unique needs of local towns and iteratively develop and collaborate with local stakeholders, such as the Namibia Housing Action Group and GIZ ISUD programme. Ideation and user testing workshops_Barnard_2025 Adopting a user-centered Design Thinking approach ensured that the development of digital and data solutions was not tech-driven but focused on real human needs, exemplifying UN Habitat’s People-Centered Smart Cities model. UNITAC and Rundu Town Council identified the delivery of water services as one of the main local challenges and priorities in Rundu related to building climate resilience in informal settlements. Based on several engagements with the Technical Management including the Finance Manager, user needs assessments and the detailed evaluation of available data, a solution for digitally capturing data by artisans attending to water and sanitation related jobs was desired. Similar challenges related to data management, but varying use cases and priority areas have been reported across different town councils and various departments. Following the design thinking process, a versatile digital tool named ‘Digital Job Card’ has been conceptualized, developed and tested to fulfill these diverse needs. The Digital Job Card is a web and mobile application designed to work both online and offline. The app digitalizes the process of creating and tracking job cards for different urban services or issues such as water infrastructure maintenance, electricity fault reporting, or building inspection for local authorities in Namibia. With this system, technical staff and clerks can track and report on the completion of their tasks or the status of an issue, allowing supervisors and managers to have sight of the data in near real time. The collected information can be used for monitoring processes, data management, analysis and visualisation, thereby improving information accessibility and evidence-based decision-making, planning and service delivery. The prototype was developed in collaboration with Rehoboth Town Council initially, another partner town of the project. Like Rundu Town Council, the technical management team participated in user needs and ideation workshops, as well as user testing sessions. The prototype was developed with scalability in mind. It was intentionally designed to be easily customizable by other towns and simple enough to adopt in the business processes of one division or multiple divisions of the local authority. The mobile application leverages KoboToolbox for offline data collection and enables town councils to create and edit forms autonomously. The app also integrates customised components for user authentication and real-time notifications. Apache Superset is used for data visualisation so that town councils can easily monitor KPIs, as well as detect operational bottlenecks, hence contribute to efficient resource management. With accurate records of water services and issues, Rundu will be able to improve service delivery The uptake of the Digital Job Card can have a very positive impact upon service delivery and improve the ability of Rundu Town Council to better manage water losses. The Council will also be able to communicate to residents, how and where the water network requires repair, and what options they have to purchase a water connection or collect water. This will go a long way to improving service delivery. There are four components of the tool, which have a positive impact on service delivery. The first component is data collection. More accurate location data is collected using GPS functionality of the Digital Job Card. Previously the artisan manually captured the address or description of the location, however the common names for street addresses did not always match the cadastral information and could not easily be mapped, limiting the ability to conduct any geospatial data analysis. Furthermore, digital forms adapted from paper-based system can be easily created and customized in a no code/low code environment. They support interactive question formats such as conditional logic, multimedia inputs and pre-filled options, which make data collection more efficient and accurate. Digital Job Card app streamlines data collection and storage, enabling structured, real-time input from the field with temporal and spatial dimensions. Data collected can be exported directly or through API by admin users for downstream analysis. User testing with artisans supervisors and technical managers in Rundu in March 2025_Kemper The second component is the dataset. Datasets collected through Digital Job Card APP brings town councils closer to establishing an integrated database, that consolidates various data sources, including cadastral and consumer information. The third component is the dashboard. The dashboard, like other business intelligence tools offers users an overview of important metrics or indictors. For example, the technical manager can monitor response times – calculated as the time from when the job was assigned to the time it was completed. The visualized data also serves the reporting requirements. Supervisors who used to manually generate charts and graphs to report the monthly or weekly activities of their service teams, can now do so at the click of a button. The fourth component is theommunication and workflow. Email and SMS notifications are set to the user’s preferences. For example, it may be set to alert the Manager when a new task is assigned and or completed, or only when the number of incomplete or unassigned tasks exceeds a certain threshold warranting attention from the Manager. This has a positive impact on more effective management and service delivery improvements. Previously, the workflow required artisans to collect request form in the front desk and obtain hand signature or in-person approvals upon job completion. This process can lead to delays, particularly when managers are not available or out of town. With 6-12 months of data collected by artisans using the Digital Job Card in the field, the Head of Water and Sanitation will be able to assess where specific jobs and issues are most prolific and in which season. It is expected that over time, evidence of where water leakages are most often repaired will indicate aging infrastructure. Evidence of where new water connections are installed, illegal connections are removed, or broken water meters are common, will all significantly contribute to the town’s ability to manage water losses and plan appropriate interventions. This data can also help motivate for budget and finances to prioritise such interventions. The Digital Job Card is ready for uptake in other towns with the same aim to improve service delivery The uptake of the Digital Job Card in Rundu Town Council is expected to enhance service delivery and water loss management by enabling accurate data collection, streamlined database integration, real-time performance monitoring via dashboards, and proactive task management through customizable notifications. Much hope rests in the possibility for innovation to address Africa’s challenges, (Adesida et al 2021) and this is a real-world example. However, the impact of this project will be determined by local commitment to use the tool in their daily operations. The value and quality of the data collected will only be as good as the users let it be. The uptake of the tool needs to be driven by the Technical Managers and supervisors who are responsible for using the tool and instructing artisans to use the tool. The Digital Job Card’s innovation lies in its simplicity. The application is easily customisable in a no code/low code environment and it is easily scaled to other towns and multiple business processes. It allows local authorities (especially secondary towns unable to implement city scale solutions) to take one step at a time in the direction of digital tools and services. This simple tool catapults the ability of local authorities to improve service delivery by communicating real-time service-related requests and status updates within the local authority and with customers. And by creating access to information and service performance data which informs better urban planning and sustainable infrastructure planning. Other towns and local governments are invited to contact unitac@un.org to find out more about implementing the Digital Job Card in their daily operations. Get the full African Cities Magazine 6 Download the full article here kemper-article-african_cities_magazine_6_english-20250826 .pdf Download PDF • 3.40MB Previous Next

< Back Cameroon museums: The language of symbols for cosmo-architecture The Route des Chefferies is a program in Cameroon that focuses on safeguarding and promoting heritage for over twenty years. It aims to restore and create spaces that promote the heritage of populations, chiefdoms, and the region as a whole. The program has led to the nomination of several traditional buildings to the World Heritage list with UNESCO. The contemporary architecture of the museums and heritage huts is inspired by the traditional aspects of the Grassfields, contributing to the scenographic development of the territory. The Museum of Civilizations is an interpretation center of Cameroonian civilizations, open to the public since 2010. It features a nautical base, beach volleyball court, playground, craft center, and a Garden of Civilizations. The Royal Museum of Foumban combines tradition and modernity, featuring the coat of arms of the Bamoun Sultanate. The Bamendjinda community museum highlights the specificities of the Bamendjinda chiefdom under the theme "Arts-Tradition and Slavery." The Route des Chefferies is a program of safeguarding and promotion of heritage in Cameroon, which, for about twenty years. It works in the restoration and creation of spaces aimed at promoting the heritage of the populations, the chiefdoms, and the region as a whole. This program, innovative in Africa, integrates a large pole dedicated to the development of the territory, to architecture, and to the design of heritage. This pole works on the cultural and tourist development of the territory by proposing buildings and places imbued with an «African» scenography that allows for the reinforcement of a rural cultural centrality. The urbanity here is specific because it navigates in a world where the living rub shoulders with the world of the ancestors, the invisible world. It also contributes to the rehabilitation of traditional buildings in danger, and participates in their safeguard in the case of various programs. Thus, since 2018, the restoration work carried out by several chieftaincies has led to the nomination of several traditional buildings (traditional palaces of Bandjoun, Bapa, Batoufam, Mankon, Bafut ...) to the list of World Heritage with UNESCO. The contemporary architecture of the museums and heritage huts (14 heritage huts have been built to date) is fundamentally inspired by the traditional aspects of the Grassfields, which will be recalled in the first part of this article, in order to contribute to the scenographic development of the territory, notably through the creation of cultural buildings detailed in the second part, all within the framework of work in communion with local craftsmen and artists, but also with the elements offered by nature in the Grassfields. The Museum of Civilization The Museum of Civilizations is an interpretation center of the civilizations of Cameroon open to the public since November 20, 2010. This building, located on the shores of Lake Dschang, has become an authentic place of leisure and culture thanks to its nautical base (2005), its beach volleyball court, its playground (2006), its craft center (2010) and very soon a Garden of Civilizations. After an introductory presentation of Cameroon over the centuries, the visitor is invited to discover the Cameroonian people in its identity both plural and fusional: the peoples of the forest with their totemic expression, the peoples of the sea with the revival of the Ngondo cultural festival, the Sudanese-Sahelian peoples with their lamidats, chieftaincies, sultanates and the peoples of Grassfield with their mysterious chieftaincies. It is an interpretation center that promotes an integrated approach to cultural heritage that allows visitors, especially local communities, to reconnect with their roots while learning about the cultures of other regions. This approach is part of cultural tolerance, an important vector of cultural diversity. The contemporary African architecture, signed by the architect Sylvain Djache Nzefa, founder of La Route des Chefferies, is characterized by the symphony of symbols: spider, buffalo, elephant woman, Abbia jettons, and local languages. The Museum of Civilization, with its multiple functions, is endowed with history, knowledge, and intelligence. In the world of the living, in the Bamileke cosmogony, men and animals dialogue, and this dialogue is also done in representation. Among the living, the one who possesses the sum of all experiences is the old man. Everywhere in Black Africa, the old man «was» considered to be the wise man, the connoisseur, the one who «held» the truth, through his multiple experiences. It is his knowledge that is symbolized through the spider. According to Pierre Harter: The spider-mygale, symbol of knowledge, often takes the form of a small single or double circle, with four crossed legs and not eight, which makes it possible to compose on certain mask headdresses or certain engravings of libation horns, a sort of diamond or square mesh net. The spider thus appears as the central element of the architecture of the Museum of Civilization: it is taken here as an architectural element that gives rhythm to the façade. The façade is treated as a mask through blue moldings. There is a desire to hide what is behind. Let us not forget that in the Negro-African, the masks speak; the wearer is possessed by his mask. Here, the wearer is the museum. The mask representing the spider expresses the contents of this building, that is, knowledge. The buffalo and elephant masks symbolize strength, power, grandeur, and wealth. Another façade of the museum is covered with alphabets and the word «welcome» written in several languages and dialects spoken in Cameroon. The eye is busy here capturing the multitude of information, codes, landmarks, which are symbols representing the objectives, the roles of the building namely: educate, preserve, transmit, innovate... Through these symbols, a man approaches what is knowledge, intelligence, society, cosmology, and cosmogony. The motifs used for the moldings on the facades are stylized forms of masks, motifs such as the spider, the buffalo, the woman, and the elephant. The act of building or conceptualizing objects and habitats is seen as a support for knowledge and understanding of the other. It leads to a review of all that is at stake in the constitution and foundations of the different civilizations of Cameroon. The visitor is thus led to question his cultural identity by a better knowledge of himself, which facilitates in principle the dialogue between civilizations. The Museum of Civilization is developing an African museographic experience that aims to put the public at the heart of the process through didactic support and contextual settings that allow visitors to immerse themselves in the heart of Cameroonian cultures. It is not so much a matter of showing as of creating an experience of a visit by provoking sensations and emotions. Realized by a Franco-Cameroonian team, the content of the exhibition is based on a scientific and interdisciplinary approach (history, archaeology, ethnography, sociology, architecture, and heritage...). Dynamic and educational. The exhibition has been conceived, in space and time, in such a way as to integrate current events. With more than 500 objects, 1500 illustrations, video spaces, the museography integrates in an important way the traditional African materials worked in a contemporary approach by the local craftsmen (varnished or burned bamboo, banana bark, obom bark, cowries, beads, raffia, earth, coconuts...) This is the first time that we discover how traditional skills can be highlighted in contemporary scenography. The Museum of Civilizations does not find its justification in the existence of a collection of objects of its own; the pieces presented illustrate the discourse chosen by the designers and come mostly from loans and deposits of the chieftaincies. Royal Museum of Foumban The Bamoun Sultanate is located in the Western Region of the Republic of Cameroon in Central Africa. The Sultanate is at an altitude of 1200 meters and covers an area of 7,625 Km². The current Sultan, Ibrahim MBOUOMBOUO NJOYA, 19th of this dynasty, animated by the immeasurable concern to safeguard this rich multi secular heritage bequeathed by his ancestors, has undertaken for nearly two years, the construction of a new museum adapted to the museum rules and spacious enough to contain all the objects of the collection. The architect Issofa MBOUOMBOUO has thought of a symbolic architecture that combines tradition and modernity and which, in itself, is enough to be a museum. This symbolic architecture is a set composed of the coat of arms of the Kingdom such as: 1 - Double bell: Symbol of patriotism. It is an instrument used by the King to stimulate and galvanize his troops at the front. 2 - The spider: Symbol of work. The King wants his people to be as hardworking as the spider who spends all his time weaving webs. 3 - Snake with two heads : Symbol of the simultaneous victory of the Bamoun people on two fronts. It symbolizes the power of the Kingdom. The result of this masterpiece is the first vector of communication of this museum, through its cosmogonic architecture, following the example of the Museum of Civilization in Dschang. Heritage hut, community museum of the Bamendjinda chiefdom: art, tradition and slavery Its permanent exhibition, unique in the region and in Cameroon, highlights all the specificities of Bamendjinda under the theme «ARTS-TRADITION AND SLAVERY». The Bamendjinda chieftaincy has been marked by slavery, whether it be slave trade or customary slavery. Some cultures still commemorate this past. Its historical and social consequences are perceptible in its plastic production, in its cultural expressions, in the organization and functioning of its chieftaincy. SM TANEFO, the current chief of the Bamendjinda, actively participates in the work of memory on this part of the history of Cameroon. The Bamendjinda community museum plays a role in the collective memory at the social, cultural, educational, and economic levels. Through objects, illustrations, paintings, videos, and a library, this museum is accessible to the general public. It is playful, complete, and enhances the cultural heritage of the chiefdom. The visitor, through the decorations, is led to discover not only Bamendjinda from its origins to today, but also the history that has marked the social organization of the chieftaincies of the West and of Cameroon. The architect Sylvain DJACHE NZEFA once again highlights on the main façade of the museum a mask called «Katso mask» or «Batcham mask». This mask is generally used in secret societies and its presence on the façade is a sign of celebration of this object. Slavery is a historical phenomenon common not only to the Bamendjinda people, but to Cameroonians, Africans, and many others. It is our past, our history, our heritage, our future. This museum is the embodiment of the memory and cultural vitality of the Bamendjinda people. Heritage case of the Bapa chiefdom, rock village The permanent exhibition of this museum has 7 spaces related to the central theme: «MAN, NATURE AND BELIEFS». The spaces defined by the Bapa traditional chief, SM David SIMEU, are the following: Discovering: which presents the history and relations between Bapa and the neighboring villages, and the organization of the chieftaincy and the place of the secret societies; Soak up: presents the nature and physical geography of Bapa; Create and build, presents the different poles of activity found in Bapa, as well as the evolution of architecture, from bamboo constructions with interpretations of weavings, to earthen brick construction and spouted earth; Savor, highlights the gastronomy of the 4 cultural areas of Cameroon, the methods of conservation of traditional foods and the food prohibitions of the past and present; Warrior, presents the power to heal as well as the place of totemic animals in the Bapa culture; To think, invites us to reflect on the protection of the environment with a nod to CIPCRE, and also unveils the modified model of the Bapa chiefdom; Blending in, displays nature, the medicinal and edible plants that nature offers us, with a miniature map of the Bapa village, and the tchui waterfall. This museum is marked by its picturesque architecture, which values the conical roofs of the West, the stabilized earth brick and especially its entrance in the shape of a cave which calls upon the various caves and rocks found in the locality and its surroundings. The scenography here highlights the local know-how in a process of transformation of vegetable waste. Thus, the work carried out by the architects of the DRC with the craftsman Banana Fashon led to the innovation of wall coverings from: dried banana leaves, peanut shells, dried corn leaves, colored woven straws...These decorations extend the understanding of the theme of the exhibition which is to bring man closer to nature. In addition to the need to highlight the know-how and beauty of the Bapa culture, to perpetuate it for the education and edification of future generations are the main motivations of the chief. Drawing inspiration from traditional architecture in order to create the architecture of tomorrow is a guarantee of safeguarding and promoting traditional know-how. The Route des Chefferies, through a creative scenography of the territory, proposes a reinterpretation of the great architectural principles without denigrating them. It uses symbols, materials, and traditional elements to give a new vision of the territory. The Route des chefferies is currently working on new concepts within the framework of the Route des Seigneurs de la forêt, Route de l’eau and Route du sahel programs. Previous Next

< Back Planning for Africa’s urban expansion: insights from the Africapolis 2050 projections FADDA Margherita and SCHLIMMER Sina Urbanisation is one of the most pressing issues affecting socio-economic dynamics on the African continent. Over the next three decades, Africa’s urban population will experience rapid growth, doubling the number of people living in cities. According to data from Africapolis, between 2020 and 2050, the continent’s urban population will grow from 704 million to 1.4 billion, and 2 out of 3 Africans will live in an urban area. This rapid demographic growth translates into spatial transformations, notably the horizontal expansion of cities. Cities will on average double their urban footprints, leading to a rapid increase in the demand for land, housing, infrastructure, and services. As urban agglomerations expand, cities are confronted both with challenges and opportunities: authorities must plan, finance and manage growth at an astonishing pace and scale. At the same time, they have the possibility of building cities that are sustainable, productive and inclusive from the outset. Drawing on the findings and new projection methods from the Africa’s Urbanisation Dynamics 2025 report, this article offers fresh insights into key urbanisation trends across the continent. It also highlights the urgent need to plan cities at scale in order to meet the basic needs of a rapidly growing urban population, including the provision of inclusive public spaces. The Africapolis database and Africa’s Urbanisation Dynamics report series are produced by the Sahel and West Africa Club of the OECD (OECD/SWAC). From today to 2050: Projecting urban growth for 11 000 agglomerations Between 2020 and 2050, Africa’s population will grow by 900 million people. Eighty percent of this demographic growth will happen in urban areas. By offering spatial and demographic projections for the next three decades, the Africa’s Urbanisation Dynamics 2025 (OECD/SWAC et al, 2025) report stresses the urgency of planning for Africa’s urban expansion. It aims to inform Africa’s decision-makers and urban planners, and to encourage them to take on boldly the challenge of planning Africa’s cities and peripheries. The urban expansion projections to 2050 used in the report are from the Africapolis database (OECD/SWAC). The report provides policy makers with detailed insights into urban population growth and spatial expansion in over 11 000 urban agglomerations in 54 countries. These projections reveal significant regional trends and spatial features that can inform urban planning at the national, metropolitan and agglomeration levels, shaping sustainable and liveable cities. The universal definition of urban agglomerations used by Africapolis offers a unique understanding of the evolution of African urban systems and provides an ideal input for projections. This is because population and urban footprints are measured consistently across countries and years. Africapolis projections provide a macro-level picture and enable comparisons at the continental and regional levels, which are crucial scales of analysis for decision-makers, citizens, researchers and professionals, especially planners. The granular information provided is a versatile tool to tackle multifaceted challenges and plan at the local level. Data is collected at the lowest level possible, and can thus facilitate and inform local decision-making. Africapolis: Defining urban Visualise urbanisation in Africa Covering the whole African continent, Africapolis maps over 11 000 urban agglomerations in 54 countries. Urban agglomerations are defined as continuously built-up areas (with gaps of less than 200 metres between individual buildings) with at least 10 000 inhabitants. Africapolis includes historical demographic data from 1950 to 2020 and spatial boundaries for every agglomeration in 2015 and 2020. Projections for both demographics and spatial boundaries are available at 5-years intervals and up to 2050. Africapolis captures the complete urban system in Africa to enable comparative and long-term analyses of urban dynamics. (OECD/SWAC, 2025), www.africapolis.org Africapolis website, Map of the projected urban expansion of Lomé, Togo, 2020-50 Making room for additional 700 million urbanites The key challenge facing Africa’s urban agglomerations is how to make room for their growing populations. Projected urban growth will pose major challenges for urban planning as it is outpacing the capacity of many central and local governments to provide housing, basic services, public space and infrastructure. At the same time, the need to build large parts of Africa’s future cities also presents an opportunity to plan cities that are better designed for the 21st century and better equipped to deal with major challenges such as climate change, housing and transport. Past failures and current thinking in other regions of the world offer lessons that urban planners and governments can learn from. However, there is also a need for African urban planners to develop and experiment with new ideas, and to integrate local realities and contexts into the design of the continent’s urban future. The need to plan now As most urban areas will be built in the next few decades, policy makers must stress the relevance, and strengthen the capacity and speed of urban planning. The way cities are built impacts every aspect of urban life, including access to jobs and services, public space, health, social interactions, safety, the cost of living and doing business. It shapes the interactions within urban areas and of urban areas with their surrounding ecosystems and hinterlands. By planning for urban expansion, agglomerations can avoid costly errors such as lack of green areas and public spaces, energy-intensive built-up forms and transport, and unhealthy housing conditions (GlobalABC/IEA/UNEP, 2020). On average, an African city is adding 7 urbanites per day, every day, until 2050. This results into a need to plan for all sorts of uses, including public spaces. As populations grow, land is required for housing, businesses, public services and utilities and transportation (OECD et al., 2025). In this equation, public spaces often struggle to be a priority. This observation is by no means limited to African cities, but a challenge shared by municipalities across the world. It is crucial to recognise the role of public spaces and to preserve them as cities grow (Anderson, Patiño Quinchía and Prieto-Curiel, 2022). Proactive planning, effective governance and innovative financing strategies are essential to ensure that cities can thrive and deliver on their potential to drive inclusive economic development. By acting now, Africa can manage its urban growth in ways that promote sustainability, inclusiveness and resilience. Average urban area growth by agglomeration size, 2020-50. Source: (OECD/SWAC, 2025), www.africapolis.org The increasing pressure on land and public spaces Rapid urban growth significantly increases the demand for land, especially in large cities where competition for space is intense. Here, the countryside is less accessible, resulting in higher risks of foreclosing easy access to public spaces. In smaller cities, despite the lower land pressure, it will be crucial to also preserve public spaces – a challenging task when considering restricted budgets and competing investment priorities. Data on public spaces is scarce, however, evidence available on green areas shows that these are lacking and disappearing as cities expand. An African level analysis of existing green spaces in the continent shows that as built-up environments grow, green spaces disappear (Anderson, Patiño Quinchía and Prieto-Curiel, 2022). Public spaces accomplish a wide variety of needs that span beyond the customary intended leisure and play activities, “they serve as extended living rooms, stimulating communal activities and providing people with space to socialise, relax, and transact. Public spaces are also a vital economic asset and major contributor to livelihoods in a context like Africa, where 85 per cent of the population work in the informal economy” (Roji, 2022). It’s essential that new public spaces consider local needs and realities, avoiding a blind enforcement of expensive, stereotypical and inappropriate planning models. The opportunities of planning ahead Urban expansion projections can inform the approach municipalities take to identify and preserve public spaces. By forecasting urban growth, and the number of inhabitants for the thirty years ahead, these projections can feed into public policies that are oriented towards securing land rights and land use planning, in areas where the pressure on urban land is still relatively low. This allows for the delivery of public spaces that are in line with the variety of local needs, whether those are political, social or economic. The analysis provided in the Africa’s Urbanisation Dynamics 2025 report shows, for example, the large potential to secure and plan land at the peripheries of cities, which will be heavily affected by urban expansion. Where cities grow horizontally, and as urban footprints expand, there is a need to plan peri-urban land wisely and make sure that public and green spaces are going to be available. Part of these public spaces might be developed on land that is not suitable for other uses, thus preserving its ecological value whilst being of use, as it has been shown in other world regions (Rojas et al, 2022, Chen, 2025). African cities can innovate and explore new urban planning solutions through new technologies and data. Integrating climate, environmental and energy considerations into urban growth planning could lead to lasting reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, reduced exposure to extreme weather, and more sustainable, resilient cities (Anderson, Patiño Quinchía and Prieto Curiel, 2022). This offers the opportunity to deliver public spaces whilst also preserving vulnerable natural areas. Urban governance for sustainable and liveable cities Urban governance has a critical role to play to accompany rapidly growing cities and tackle existing issues that hinder their economic potential. Urban governance refers to the processes, institutions and actors responsible for managing and overseeing the affairs of cities. In this context, a multitude of stakeholders, local governments and agencies, formal and informal entities collectively decide how to plan, finance and manage urban areas. Local governments play a key role in this context as they represent the needs of residents and are often in charge of managing the delivery of public spaces and services. Delivering public spaces in Africa’s cities Urban dwellers engage with public spaces for different purposes. Therefore, it is crucial that new public spaces are designed considering local needs and contexts, rather than imposing costly and generic models that may not reflect the realities on the ground. Recognising the variety of uses and adapting existing and new public spaces to ground realities can help obtain a shared support for their delivery. If the value of such spaces is recognised by the resident communities, there is a higher chance that their premises will be respected and protected against squatting or building (Diep et al, 2022). To reach this goal of creating adapted and locally owned public spaces, it is crucial to involve local stakeholders, including community leaders and customary authorities into the planning and governance frameworks. A multi-level governance approach, that considers the knowledge and added value of local leaders and community dynamics, is therefore key. Data management and ownership by local communities can further help achieve more accurate diagnostics of local needs. Mapping tools, forums and other services can be useful to identify issues and opportunities for urban development that would not be visible otherwise (Kollektiv Orangotango+, 2018). The recent initiative of Public Spaces for Africa ( www.africanpublicspaces.org ) aims to redefine what ideal public spaces look like for Africa’s cities. Collecting best practices and experiences of cities delivering public spaces can help shape practices and instruments to build on and improve (Roji, 2022). These exercises can contribute to developing clear visions for public spaces and eventually inform their governance. The role of land governance As mentioned above, securing land rights and land use planning are essential tools to plan for urban expansion, including public spaces, and key functions of land governance. In many African countries, the formal land governance system is unable to identify, consolidate, plan, service and deliver land for public, residential and commercial use at the scale required to manage urban growth effectively. This has profound implications for the ability of local governments to meet their land-use planning objectives. Approaches to urban planning and land management should prioritise stakeholder participation and local capacity to manage growth efficiently and inclusively. All this points to the urgent need to reinforce planning capacities at local and regional levels. Addis Abeba, by Leandry JIEUTSA 2022 Financing public spaces Rapid urban growth generates strong demand for investment in infrastructure and public services in cities. Current levels of spending do not meet the requirements, leaving large gaps in infrastructure provision and coverage of services. Africa’s cities need more funds for urban development. The availability of more funds alone, however, won’t solve the financing challenge. African cities need to better align investment spending with the needs and realities of their residents and businesses. Investments need to cover both formal and informal areas. Local governments, communities and economic sectors should be at the centre of investment planning (OECD et al., 2025). When considering the delivery of public spaces, it is essential to measure and understand the potential of government land. Public space delivery might be possible if the information on municipal ownership and vacancies is more readily available, and if communities are ready to step in to pressure for their delivery. Examples from other world regions show that when vacant public land is not made accessible, community action through mapping and lobbying can increase the availability of public spaces (Segal and Kravitz, 2019). Another crucial element for financing public spaces will be to consider incremental delivery. The wish to replicate stereotyped visions of public spaces, with lush green parks and fully equipped playgrounds, whilst desirable, might not be in line with available budgets, and might delay the delivery of more practical and still appealing public spaces. Gradual upgrades and implementation can represent a more sustainable solution for communities in search for accessible public spaces. Do you want to learn more about how Africapolis informs city planning in Africa? Africapolis is a unique database and data visualisation tool that measures and projects urbanisation trends in Africa from 1950 to 2050. It provides a detailed picture of Africa’s urban agglomerations at local, national, regional and continental levels, helping users to explore the size, location, and projected growth of cities. The platform offers indicators to compare urban population, levels of urbanisation, and the number of agglomerations across different geographies. Thanks to its cross-country comparability and comprehensive continental scope, Africapolis can inform decision- and policy-making across various sectors. It equips policymakers, researchers, and practitioners to better understand and address the challenges of urban and peri-urban development in Africa. It further provides useful insights for experts across sectors, with applications including urban planning, health, education, fiscal policy, environment, and gender equality. Source: (OECD/SWAC, 2025), www.africapolis.org Yaounde the capital city of Cameroon, by Leandry JIEUTSA 2022 Building liveable African cities demands action now Rapid urban growth incrases the pressure on land, intensifying tensions around the use of public spaces. Anticipating and planning for this growth is essential to secure well-located land for public use. Once cities are built, acquiring land for public spaces becomes complex and costly. Taking action today can help to avoid substantial retrofitting expenses and the loss of long-term benefits for urban residents. To ensure that public spaces effectively serve urban residents, their planning must be driven by local realities and needs rather than replicating imported models that may not align with community priorities or available financing. An incremental financing approach that allocates more resources after essential infrastructure is in place can support this process sustainably. Effective local governance will be crucial to design a clear vision of how public spaces should look like as cities expand. To deliver accessible and sustainable public spaces, it will be crucial to involve all stakeholders, especially resident communities. Decision-makers and communities can rely on the newly available Africapolis projection data on urban growth and emerging evidence on the accessibility of green areas within Africa’s cities to accompany policies and identify appropriate locations and types of public spaces (Anderson, Patiño Quinchía and Prieto-Curiel, 2022). Google earth erial view of Cotonou, 2025 Get the full African Cities Magazine 6 Download the full article here margherita-article-african_cities_magazine_6_english-20250826 .pdf Download PDF • 6.08MB Previous Next

"Unlock urban potential in Africa! Africa Innovation Network focuses on creating sustainable, resilient African cities & innovative solutions for a better urban future." #AfricanCities A FRICA I NNOVATION N ETWORK: SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS FOR AFRICA AND THE WORLD WHO WE ARE We are a think tank developing new approaches for more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable cities in Africa. We develop initiatives, projects, programs, and materials to support cities to move forward to more sustainable human settlements. WHAT WE DO Through our network of experts in urban planning, architecture, engineering, transport and mobility, geographic information systems, design, etc., we accompany cities and territories in the creation of more inclusive and sustainable living environments. OUR APPROACH Our approach is human-centered and based on frugal innovations. We are developing simple, participative ideas and solutions to make our cities and our rural areas a better place for all . OUR MISSION Help through our initiatives to build a better future for all and make sure that no one is left behind in our cities.

< Back When art comes to town: The murals that cover African cities This article explores the rise of murals in African cities, their ancient history, and their contemporary role. From Johannesburg to Cairo, these works of art transform urban landscapes, tell cultural stories, and address social and political issues. Casablanca and Cotonou feature murals depicting history and national pride, while Johannesburg and Cairo display tributes to Mandela and powerful messages of tolerance. El Seed in Manshiyat Naser, Cairo, symbolizes change and unity within a marginalized community. These murals become cultural pillars and means of expression, promoting tourism and community unity. From the vibrant streets of Johannesburg to the colorful alleyways of Cairo, African cities are being transformed by murals. These large-scale works of art are adorning buildings, walls, and bridges, bringing life and color to urban spaces. Murals in African cities serve a variety of purposes. One of the reasons why murals are so popular is that they are a relatively inexpensive way to add beauty and vibrancy to urban areas. They are used to raise awareness of social and political issues, while others celebrate local culture and heritage. Whatever their purpose, murals are having a profound impact on African cities. They are attracting tourists, boosting local economies, and creating a sense of community pride. Murals have a long and rich history in Africa, dating back to ancient times. Some of the earliest known murals in Africa can be found in the tombs of the Egyptian pharaohs. Murals were also used by other African cultures to tell stories, celebrate religious beliefs, and document important events. For example, the Dogon people of Mali used murals to tell the story of their creation myth. The murals depict the journey of the Dogon people from their celestial home to Earth. The murals of the Ndebele people of South Africa are another example of the long tradition of mural painting in Africa. Ndebele murals are known for their bold colors and geometric patterns. They are used to decorate homes and other buildings, and they also have a spiritual significance. In the 20th and 21st centuries, murals have taken on a new significance in Africa. They are now being used to address important social and political issues, such as poverty, inequality, and HIV/AIDS. Murals are also being used to celebrate African culture and heritage. Casablanca, Morocco Casablanca has become a vibrant open-air art gallery, with murals covering the walls of buildings all over the city. From the bustling streets of Burgundy to the winding alleyways of the old medina, these murals tell stories, celebrate culture, and inspire passersby. Each mural is a unique work of art, reflecting the diversity and creativity of Casablanca's people. Some murals are abstract, with bold colors and geometric patterns. Others are figurative, depicting portraits, landscapes, and scenes from everyday life. One particularly striking mural can be found on Burgundy Street. It features portraits of the Moroccan national football team, who recently achieved a historic feat by reaching the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The mural captures the excitement and pride of the Moroccan people, and it has become a popular tourist attraction. Casablanca's murals are more than just works of art. They are also a source of pride and inspiration for the city's residents. They transform urban spaces, making them more colorful and inviting. They also serve as a platform for artists to express themselves and to share their stories with the world. Cotonou, Benin The mural in Cotonou, Benin is a truly impressive feat of art and engineering. It is the largest fresco in the world, measuring 1,300 meters long and 10 meters high. The mural was created by a collective of 27 artists from 13 different countries, and it took them over a year to complete. The mural is located in the port of Cotonou, which is one of the busiest ports in West Africa. The mural depicts a variety of scenes from Benin's history and culture. There are images of traditional dances, ceremonies, and everyday life. The mural also features portraits of some of Benin's most famous historical figures, such as King Ghézo and Queen Hangbé. The mural is more than just a work of art. It is also a symbol of Benin's growing cultural and economic importance. The mural has been well-received by the people of Benin. Many people see the mural as a symbol of national pride. The mural has also attracted tourists from all over the world. The Nelson Mandela mural by Shepard Fairey in Johannesburg, South Africa The Nelson Mandela mural by Shepard Fairey is a 10-storey, 2,174 square feet (202.0 m2) public artwork on Juta Street in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, created by Shepard Fairey and completed in September 2014. It pays tribute to Nelson Mandela and the 25th anniversary of the Purple Rain Protest. The mural is based on Fairey's iconic "Hope" poster, which was created for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. The mural depicts Mandela in a close-up portrait, with his signature bright white smile and piercing blue eyes. The mural is painted in a bold, colorful style, with shades of red, orange, yellow, and blue. The mural is located in a prominent location in Braamfontein, a vibrant and diverse neighborhood in Johannesburg. It is a popular tourist attraction, and it is also a source of pride for the local community. The mural is a reminder of Mandela's legacy and his fight for equality and justice. Perception" mural by El Seed in Cairo Cairo is another African city that is home to a vibrant mural scene. One of the most popular murals in Cairo is The Calligraffiti Mural of Garbage City. EL Seed, a French-Tunisian street artist, created a stunning calligraffiti mural in the Manshiyat Naser suburb of Cairo. The mural covers the sides of more than 40 buildings and features a quote from a Coptic Christian bishop: "Anyone who wants to see the sunlight clearly needs to wipe his eye first." The mural is located in a very poor neighborhood, and eL Seed had to work with limited resources. He also had to overcome the stigma that is often attached to Manshiyat Naser. Despite the challenges, eL Seed was able to create a beautiful and inspiring mural that has made a positive impact on the Manshiyat Naser community. The mural is a powerful reminder that we should not judge others too quickly, and that we should always strive to see the best in people and places. Manshiyat Naser is a neighborhood that is often overlooked and stigmatized, but eL Seed's mural is helping to change that. The mural has had a positive impact on the Manshiyat Naser community. It has helped to raise awareness of the neighborhood and its people, and it has also inspired a sense of pride and community spirit. Previous Next

AIN TEAM Leandry JIEUTSA FOUNDER in Hind REZOUK MEMBER Patrick SOMY MEMBER Franck HEUDJEU MEMBER Corianne RICE MEMBER Wijdane NADIFI MEMBER Joel Mukalay KIME MUKENA MEMBER

< Back Reaping the Urban Dividend: Sustainable and Safe Urban Mobility in Africa Debashish Bhattacharjee and Stefanie Holzwarth Rapid urbanization in Africa brings both opportunities and challenges. While urban areas have seen significant economic growth, issues like traffic congestion, road crashes, and lack of safe transport hinder progress. The "Reclaiming Streets for Pedestrians and Cyclists in Africa" project aims to address these challenges. It promotes safer street designs, integrating walking and cycling infrastructure. Through capacity building and pilot initiatives in Kenya, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Guinea, and Rwanda, the project enhances road safety and urban mobility. By emphasizing pedestrian and cyclist safety in national road safety frameworks and facilitating regional collaboration, it paves the way for safer and more sustainable urban transport systems across Africa. The world’s most rapidly growing cities are in Africa. Since 1990, the number of cities in Africa has doubled and their cumulative population has increased by 500 million people , with one-third of Africa’s per capita GDP growth due to urbanisation . But, the full potential of urbanisation is yet to be realised. Among the underlying causes holding back the potential of the continent are the high levels of traffic congestion and road traffic crashes that occur in the region which is also linked with the lack of affordable, safe and convenient public transport and proper footpaths and bike-lanes As African cities grow and attract more people, there is an opportunity to shape them in more resource-efficient ways, that minimise travel and provide vibrant spaces for economic activities and social interaction, making them engines of social and economic development. This requires “a whole of society approach” led by the government but where business, civil society and academic institutions play crucial roles. Impactful “solutions” can be found in walking and cycling if put at the heart of policy and planning. Safe and vibrant streets can solve many challenges that African cities currently face and their implementation is usually at lower cost than the alternatives. By reviewing experiences from various cities and putting in place processes that build on successes from within the region, such a “learning from doing” approach can help Africa to make urbanisation work for the benefit of its people and for the planet. Intersection redesign in Quelimane Mozambique. 2022 UN-Habitat Africa’s urban population has tripled in size in little more than two decades since 1990 and its cities will gain over 900 million new residents by 2050, making Africa the most rapidly urbanizing region in the world . While one third of per capita, GDP growth has been attributed to urbanisation, the informal sector accounts for more than 80 % of jobs in African cities. The Covid 19 pandemic severely affected this sector decimating livelihoods of large sections of the population who have little or no support from social protection measures. In addition to putting in place social safety nets for the vulnerable, restoring and improving livelihoods for the large section of society who depend on informal sources of employment in cities should therefore be amongst the top priorities across the countries of the region. It is in this context that decent “urban mobility” should be seen as a key enabler for people to pursue livelihoods, access basic health and education services and engage in social interaction all contributing to building their resilience and capabilities particularly of those who are the most vulnerable. People in Dar es Salaam crossing over to the BRT station. 2018. Julius Mwelu - UN-Habitat Currently, Africa has the lowest emissions amongst the regions of the world. But emissions are rapidly increasing together with the growth in car ownership driven mainly by import of used vehicles from other regions . Transportation also is a large source of multiple pollutants and air pollution is now the second largest cause of death in Africa (1.1 million deaths in 2019 alone). In addition, road traffic crashes are a major cause of death and disability in the region. Globally, Africa accounts for 3% of registered vehicles but 20% of fatalities from road crashes. 261 pedestrians and 18 cyclists are killed in Africa every day. According to a World Bank report the total cost of fatalities and serious injuries in the region in 2016, amounted to $128 billion and 9% of GDP -the highest in the world . According to the WHO 2018 Global status report, only 11 African countries have design standards for pedestrians and cyclists. In the region, people spend on an average nearly one hour on walking and cycling – not by choice but due to a lack of other options . Public transport is largely informally operated in African cities with fleets comprising so called “minibus taxis” known by various names in different countries e.g matatus in Kenya and dala dalas in Tanzania. These operate in an erratic manner in responding to travel demand, with operators competing for passengers on the road and generally provide a poor level of service associated with road safety challenges. However, for the majority of people, this may be the only “public transport” option available. Moreover, based on data analysed by UN-Habitat from 138 African cities, only around 32% of people living in these cities can access convenient public transport services within a distance of 500m/ 1000m (depending on carrier capacity). A modern, efficient and safe multi-modal transport system, comprised of public transport accessible to people by a short and comfortable walk or bike ride should thus be a part of the vision of African cities to stem the huge drain on resources and boost their economies in addition to addressing the human tragedy and suffering caused by road traffic crashes. Cycling fighting his way on Nairobi roads. 2020. UN-Habitat A large majority of the African urban residents rely on walking and cycling, with data for many cities showing up to 50-70% of the transport trips. At the same time, the infrastructure for active mobility is often lacking or in poor condition, causing severe safety impacts for the urban population. This alarming situation is often compounded by the lack of integrated transport and urban planning practices, resulting in a priority towards car-oriented transport policies and practices and outdated street design standards with little reference to “complete streets” in urban areas. It is against this background that UN-Habitat is coordinating the “Reclaiming Streets for Pedestrians and Cyclists in Africa” project funded by the United Nations Road Safety Fund, and implemented in collaboration with the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP). The project aims to significantly reduce road fatalities among the most vulnerable road users in the countries of Kenya, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Guinea and Rwanda. The project implements large-scale capacity building programmes on safe street designs, for instance in Kisumu, Kenya, where a Minecraft workshop (digital lego for urban design) was organized with local communities to identify their main proposals for better streets. These proposals were tested through a tactical urbanism intervention showcased at the Africities conference in 2022. Safe Routes to School Campaign in Mombasa 2023. Vipul Patel Through the provision of technical assistance, the “Reclaiming Streets” project also contributes to the implementation of pilot initiatives. Public spaces and footpaths that are better designed to safely accommodate rather than hinder street-vending and other such small businesses, can actually boost social activities, employment and potentially also land values. One pilot initiative supported by the “Reclaiming Streets” project is the Nairobi River Life Project, a joint initiative of the Kenyan Government, UN-Habitat and other partners. Under this initiative, opportunities are being developed for regenerating inner city neighbourhoods, supporting local economies, providing alternative connectivity through a network of green and public spaces and a safe network of walkways and bicycle paths, managing storm water, and creating water reservoirs and water parks. Participatory Minecraft workshop on Street Designs. Kisumu 2022. UN-habitat The “Reclaiming Streets” project furthermore assists countries in strengthening their national road safety frameworks for instance by emphasizing the need for safe walking and cycling in Mozambique’s National Road Safety Masterplan, or through its support to the development of Rwanda’s National Street Design Manual. Through regional dissemination of good practice, the project inspires countries across the continent to follow successful pathways towards safer mobility. Together with partners, the project contributed to the first Africa-wide convening for walking and cycling in Kigali, Rwanda. The Forum addressed the long-standing issues with walking and cycling on the continent and initiated the drafting of regional action plans. Lastly, the project also strengthens the collaboration with development banks and financiers and offers support for in providing NMT audits to externally financed mobility projects. As walking and cycling should be considered part of an integrated, multi-modal transport system, the project emphasizes the links with public transport in the context of transit-oriented development. Over the years, UN-Habitat has also assisted African cities in planning for modern public transport systems and provided expertise towards operational planning or corridor design in cities such Kampala, Nairobi, Addis Ababa, Kigali or Dar es Salaam. Road Safety Campaign in Mozambique 2022. UN-Habitat Safe and sustainable mobility is essential for economies to thrive in Africa. Improving accessibility and mobility for all is enabling more people, particularly women and those that were previously constrained by a variety of reasons, such as disabilities and poverty to participate in economic, social and cultural activities and access educational, health and other social services making cities more vibrant engines of economic growth and social development, while also restraining the growing emissions in the region. The Reclaiming Streets project is significantly reducing road fatalities in its partner cities by implementing safer streets for pedestrians and cyclists. Through tactical urbanism interventions and technical assistance for street designs, the project results in safer infrastructure for vulnerable road users while encouraging design features that slow down the speed of motorized transport. The project contributes to safer urban street designs under a complete streets approach, for instance in Rwanda at the Kinamba and Akabuga intersections, or in Ethiopia in 2 school areas in Addis Ababa. In collaboration with the local governments, the project assists during the implementation phase and will assess reductions in injuries/fatalities in a sample number of locations. Cyclist in Mozambique. 2022. UN-Habitat Previous Next

Lomé, the capital and largest city of Togo, is uniquely positioned as the only capital city in the world that borders another nation—Ghana. Situated on the Gulf of Guinea, Lomé serves as the economic and administrative hub of Togo, with its bustling port playing a critical role in the country's economy. The city is known for its vibrant markets, especially the Grand Marché, a colorful epicenter of Togolese commerce and culture. Lomé also features a mix of colonial architecture and modern buildings, reflecting its history and development. The city's coastline is lined with palm-fringed beaches, making it a picturesque location for both residents and visitors. Lomé-Togo Lomé, the capital and largest city of Togo, is uniquely positioned as the only capital city in the world that borders another nation—Ghana. Situated on the Gulf of Guinea, Lomé serves as the economic and administrative hub of Togo, with its bustling port playing a critical role in the country's economy. The city is known for its vibrant markets, especially the Grand Marché, a colorful epicenter of Togolese commerce and culture. Lomé also features a mix of colonial architecture and modern buildings, reflecting its history and development. The city's coastline is lined with palm-fringed beaches, making it a picturesque location for both residents and visitors.

Africa Innovation Network est ravi de participer au forum organisé par Le Grdr et ses partenaires sur les trajectoires des villes du fleuve Sénégal. < Back AIN au forum, quelles trajectoires pour les villes du fleuve Sénégal ? Africa Innovation Network est ravi de participer au forum organisé par Le Grdr et ses partenaires sur les trajectoires des villes du fleuve Sénégal. Africa Innovation Network est ravi de participer au forum organisé par Le Grdr et ses partenaires sur les trajectoires des villes du fleuve Sénégal. Rejoignez-nous du 12 au 14 décembre 2023 à l’hôtel Sindoné à Saint Louis au Sénégal pour explorer l'avenir de Kayes, Kaédi et Bakel. Nous y animerons deux tables rondes pour Plonger dans les enjeux de l'urbanisation ouest-africaine et des villes intermédiaires au Sahel, et Explorez les opportunités des villes intermédiaires de la moyenne vallée du fleuve Sénégal. Le Grdr et ses partenaires organisent leur forum « Quelles trajectoires pour les villes du fleuve Sénégal ? Regards sur Kayes, Kaédi et Bakel » , qui se tiendra les 12, 13 et 14 décembre 2023 à l’hôtel Sindoné à Saint Louis au Sénégal. (uniquement sur invitation). Au cœur des échanges : L a Moyenne Vallée du Fleuve Sénégal connaît depuis les années 1970, une croissance démographique soutenue et une urbanisation rapide. Ces petites et moyennes villes, qualifiées de «villes intermédiaires », sont confrontées à des défis majeurs en matière de transformation des territoires et des sociétés dans un contexte de changements climatiques et de de tensions sociales et sécuritaires. En phase de densification et d’urbanisation, elles doivent s’adapter en permanence pour répondre aux besoins des populations. Ce forum a pour but d’ i nformer et communiquer sur les enjeux des villes intermédiaires auprès des acteurs publics, privés et de la société civile ici et là-bas, de valoriser et mettre en lumière les potentialités des villes intermédiaires de la moyenne vallée du fleuve et de co-construire une communauté d’acteurs opérationnels et académiques autour des villes intermédiaires et de leurs enjeux afin de travailler dans une dynamique de recherche - action. Le forum s’organisera entre des temps de débats sous forme de de table ronde, des ateliers de présentation/immersion dans les villes et des présentations d’initiatives qui contribuent à construire la ville et la faire vivre au quotidien. Une soirée spéciale sera également organisée Le vernissage de l ’exposition photographique : Bakel , Kaédi et Kayes : des villes en mouvement sur le fleuve Sénégal (ouverte à tous et toutes, à l’espace Kawsara, quai Roume, île de Saint Louis, du 12 au 26 décembre 2023). Cette exposition a pour ambition de restituer et d’illustrer les dynamiques et mécanismes de la transition urbaine au Sahel tels qu’ils sont ressortis lors de la démarche de diagnostic participatif prospectif mise en œuvre dans le cadre du travail du Grdr. Previous Next

Yaoundé, Cameroon's political capital is one of the two most important cities in the country and is experiencing rapid population growth and spatial expansion. With a population estimated at more than 3.5 million inhabitants, the city has a metropolitan dynamic reinforced by its status as a political capital. This series resorts the energy of Yaoundé, as well as its spatial configuration between modern and precarious housing. Yaoundé-Cameroon Yaoundé, Cameroon's political capital is one of the two most important cities in the country and is experiencing rapid population growth and spatial expansion. With a population estimated at more than 3.5 million inhabitants, the city has a metropolitan dynamic reinforced by its status as a political capital. This series resorts the energy of Yaoundé, as well as its spatial configuration between modern and precarious housing.